Verona

Thanks for your observations on Verona, Takuma!

Verona is a UNESCO world heritage site. Verona is famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the Arena, completed around 30 AD, which is the third largest in Italy, after Rome's Colosseum and the arena at Capua. Verona is the setting of the story of Romeo and Juliet, made famous by William Shakespeare.

Valpolicella is a wine producing zone of the province of Verona, Italy, east of Lake Garda. The hilly agricultural and marble-quarrying region of small holdings north of the Adige is famous for wine production. Valpolicella ranks just after Chianti in total Italian DOC wine production. The wine known as Valpolicella is typically made from three grape varietals: Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara. Most Valpolicella wines are light, fragrant table wines in flavour. "Valpolicella" appeared in charters of the mid 12th century, combining two valleys previously thought of independently. Its etymology is unknown; it might derive from the Latin for "Valley of Cellars." Valpolicella's economy is heavily based on wine production, which is well known, especially Recioto and Amarone, a strong wine made from dried grapes. The region, colloquially called the "pearl of Verona", has also been a preferred location for rural vacation villas.

Another place to add to my list of places to visit!

Florence

Thank you for sharing your experiences in Florence (Italian: Firenze) with us Takuma. I have never been to Florence (I only spent a day in Italy while traveling in Switzerland) but your posting inspired me to find out more about this famous city.

Florence was the capital of Italy for five years in the 1800s. It is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and was long ruled by the Medici family. Some have said that of the 1,000 most important European artists of the second millennium, 350 lived or worked in Florence.

Food and wine have long been an important staple of the economy. Florence is the most important city in Tuscany, one of the great wine-growing regions in the world. The Chianti region is just south of the city, and its Sangiovese grapes figure prominently not only in its Chianti Classico wines but also in many of the more recently developed Supertuscan blends. Within 20 miles to the west is the Carmignano area, also home to flavorful reds. More recently, the Bolgheri region (about 100 miles southwest of Florence) has become justly celebrated for its Supertuscan reds like Sassicaia. Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather than rarefied high cooking. The vast majority of dishes are based on meat.

Florence sounds like a great place to enjoy European history and fine wine!

The sight of Firenze

These days,I'm disgusted with the daily news of Japan and hot temperature. I remembered the cool and fresh mornig in Firenze.


　I arrived at the top of the hill called as Michelangelo square and saw the wonderful sight. It was the best place where we could see all sight of this city. After we took some photographs we moved to the old streets of this city by bus.
　The first place we visited today was Duomo, the second was Piazzale degli Uffizi(Museum) where was famous of having the picture” birth of Venus”. But we had to line to enter to the art museum. The body checking system at this art museum was very strict like at an airport security check. We took about 30 minutes to enter
the art museum. The guide seemed well educated in art appreciation, and he explained the paintings flourishingly, but I thought that it was difficult to hear his explanations because the museum was
crowded. I felt overwhelmed by the crowd,horror at the preservation work by Uffizi Family and I left. I reflected on the power of
the Uffizi family and was horrified at their staggering level of wealth.

The sightseeing for Verona

Unfortunately we could not get tickets to see “The Last Dinner” by Leonardo Da Vinci. These days due to the big influence of the American movie of the Da Vinci code, it is difficult to see the last dinner, I had heard the news from the tour conductor before the departure of this tour. Therefore we went to Verona sightseeing instead of seeing the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci. I enjoyed so many sights of the medieval ages memory that I felt this sightseeing plan was much better than the old painting. And I felt this old city something to be healed from my busy days, after walking around the stone roads of the middle ages , seeing the roofs of the old church that were very beautiful like a pictures. Anyway the sight seeing of Verona was very good.